System fob cleaning boilebs



C. T. McGILL.

SYSTEM FOR CLEANING BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12.19l8.

Paten ted July 1, 1919.

autumn:

"' Chester Z'Hcm Qikurmrgs CHESTER T. MOGILL, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

SYSTEM FOR CLEANING BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed February 12, 1918. Serial No. 216,771.

Ordinarily for the purpose of removing.

the scale produced by the accumulation of sediment and impurities produced during the production of steam, it is now necessary to entirely shutdown the boiler to permit 1t to be manually cleaned or to allow the scale and sediment to be blown-ofi' by the usual blow-ofi' devices at the bottom and back of the boiler. This is uneconomical, for the reason that much highly heated water is turned to waste; the use of the boiler is interfered with, and manual labor with incident requirement of time and expense is required.

It is one of the' objects of the present in: vention to provide a method and apparatus whereby the boiler may be ke t clean during operation ofthe plant and t us obviate the necessity for shutting down for the blow-off ofthe boiler and preserving the. heated water while at the same time the plant may be-subjected to the cleaning processes.

It is, therefore an object of the invention to eliminate the loss of time and the expense of manual cleaning and a further object is to increase the boilerefiiciency and capacity, and to protect the boiler by the substantially continuous removal of the impurities while the boiler is in service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a process which ma be practised for the cleaning of boilers without the require- ,ment of expert care and without any additional expense after initial cost of the equip- 'ment \of the plant with the apparatus or system.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple, substantial and continuously'operative apparatus for automatically removing both the flocculentgsuspended and sedimentary impurities and odies from the water in the bo1ler while it is in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the ready collection and blowingofi, not only of the sedimentary substances in the water, but also to rovide for the collection and blowing-oil 0 oils that may be contained or collected in the water in the boiler.

Broadly, the invention consists of a method and apparatus whereby. the water in a boiler may be circulated automatically, without the requirements of positive mechanical means and directed to a collecting chamber in which it may be held in uiet state to permit the separation of the occulent and sedimenta-ry matter from the water.

More specifically, the invention consists of a method and apparatus for practising the same, whereb an automatic circulation is established within the boiler and a se arate settlin tank into which the circu ating water 1s directed and thence returned to the boiler. With this and other objects in view as will be manifest to those skilled in the art, one embodiment of the invention is de scribed in the following specification and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing in, which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional and elevational view of the boiler and apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the rellef valve; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the siphon fitting.

The invention may be practised and aplied in connection with various types. of

oilers, the system herein being shown as connected to a horizontal boiler 1 suitably disposed in the furnace chamber and has at its front end a vertical pipe 3, which is open at its lower end and projects into the boiler and slightly below the normal level of the water, and providing a continuous surface blow-ofi' and pressure line. This pipe is connected to a valve 4, which in turn is connected to a pipe 6 which may be inclined from which water and some steam bubbles flow rearwardly into a-stand-pipe 8, having an upwardly projecting portion provided at its up er end with an automatic air vent or valve 7. This valve which is shown in Fig. 2 consists ofa chamber C attached to the u per end of pipe 8 and having a float or ball B to rise against a seat S at the .top of the chamber C when water rises in pipe 8. If circulation through the system is too rapid then the water level in the chamber recedes and steamwill be permitted to escape in which event the valves, or one of them, should be adjusted to check the rate of circulation until water will act to close the ball against its seat. Obviously when the plant is idle the ball is in its lower position.

so as to allow airto escape when water is turned into the plant.

The lower end of the pipe 8 is connected to a suitable device forming a siphonic injector connected by a pipe 10 to the upper end of a settling tank 11, which is shown as being disposed exterior to the furnace wall of the boiler. v

Preferably the pipe '10 enters adjacent to the far side of the settlingtank 11 and projects downwardly from the top thereof, which is shown as provided with a blow-ofl pipe 12, having a valve 13.

The lower portion of the tank 11 is provided with a blow-off connection 14 having a valve 15.

At that side of' the tank 11 remote from the inlet pipe 10 and at a point intermediate the top and bottom, there is provideda return pipe 16 having a valve 17 connected to an extension pipe 18 leading into the rear end of the boiler.

The siphonic device is arranged in the up: right pipe 8 which is of such length that the condensed steam from pipe 6 creates water having sufficient head to flow with desired pressure through the device 9 which has a diametral downturned nozzle 9, Fig. 3, transverse the opening to which the fitting 9 is attached to ipe 19 and therefore a suction is create within the chamber surrounding the nozzle 9 which induces a flow of water up the ipe 21 when the control valves 1, 20 and 1 are open.

Connected to the suction pipe of the siphonic device 9 is an intake pipe 19 having a valve 20 from which there is an extension 21 of the pipe 19, which leads downwardly and into the usual blow-off pipe or trap 22, at the rear and bottom of the boiler, this having a horizontal extension 23 with a valve 24. The trap 22 is of comparatively large size as to the pipe 21 extending into it so as to allow free trapping of the heavier sediment in the water.

The apparatus as above described will, I when the boiler is full to the normal level witlr Water, and when the water is heated and the valves 1, 17 and 20 opened, effect a circulation of the heated water and thus circulat'ion is produced by the tendency of the heated water and steam to pass into the air chambersin the apparatus, the water and steam flowing along the pipe 6 and driving the air before it upwardly and from the automatic air valve and thereafter the condensing steam in the stand pipe 8 added to the water coming along the pipe 6 forms a column, the weight of which causes the water in the pipe 8 to be projected through pipe 10 into the chamber 11 which, being of a comparatively large size, allows the'water v to become substantially quiet, whereupon the suspended and sedimentary impurities fall to the bottom, while the fiocculent particles and oil rise to the top, the one being discharged at suitable intervals through the b'low-ofl' 15 at the bottom and the other through blow-off 12 and the valve 13 at the top.

Circulation between the tank 11 and 'boiler is provided through the return pipe 16 and its extension 18 to the rear end of theboiler. I

However, as it is one of the important features of the present invention to remove impurities from the trap 22, this is accomplished by the induced current of water through the pipes 1921 owing to the suc- I tion effected at the injector 9.

Since the lower end of pipe 21 draws its supply of water from the trap 22 the impurities gathered therein will be taken up and passed through the device 9 and pipe 10 into the tank 11, in which the impurities are permitted to settle, out.

By disposing the inlet pipe 10 and outlet pipe 16 at remote points in the tank 11 a maximum path is provided for the water to traverse before it passes from the tank and thus providef'or an increased settling caof the water in the lower'portion of the boiler to carry the sediment and scale forming material into the trap 22 from whence it is drawn by the pipe 21, thereby preventing the accumulation of so'much scale in the boiler.

, Obviously, I may utilize any suitable agent 1n the water to facilitate the precipitation of soluble matter in the water.

What is claimed is:

1. A boiler having, in combination, a setpipe; a pipe connecting the sediment -uptake to the stand pipe at a point below the connection therewith; an ejector connection at the juncture of the sediment pipe and the stand pipe whereb the water descending in the latter is'utilized to draw Water and sedimentary matter up the sediment up take pipe and to the tank, and a return connection between the tank and the boiler.

2. A boiler having, incombination, a settling tank; a steam and water uptake pipe leading up from just below the normal water level of the boiler near its front; a sediment uptake pipe at the opposite end of the boiler and leading from the bottom thereof: a stand pipe extending from the top of the tank; an upwardly inclined steam and water pipe connecting the steam uptake pipe. to the upper part of the stand pipe: a pipe connecting the sediment uptake to the stand pipe at a point below the connection therewith: an ejector connection at the juncture of the sediment pipe and the stand pipe whereby the water descending in the latter is utilized to draw water and sedimentary matter up the sediment uptake pipe and to the tank, and a return connection between the tank and the boiler, and an automatic vent valve in the stand pipe which will be closed by the upfiowing ater but will permit steam to discharge and thereby indicate the condition of circu- 25 lation in the organization.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

CHESTER T. McGILL. 

